Term Sheet - Friday, July 13

EDUCATION

Education is one of those things that is constantly underfunded in the U.S — as evidenced by the nationwide teacher walkouts. But in the private equity and venture capital space, plans to reform the industry through technology are on fire. It seems as if there’s a new deal in the edtech space everyday.

Today, Austin-based pi-top, a learn-to-code startup, raised $16 million in funding led by Hambro Perks and Committed Capital.

It’s not just an anecdote that investors are becoming more bullish in the education space, despite historical disinterest in funding education (at least politically speaking). About $8.24 billion in investments flowed into edtech firms in the first half of 2018 alone, according to a recent Metaari analysis that includes PE, VC, and ICO funding.

Such funding looks on track to hit yet another annual record, with investments hitting $9.56 billion last year. For perspective, capital in the space grew 31.8% between 2016 and 2017—outpacing 18% growth in VC funding and a 5% uptick in PE Investment in the same period.

But what’s really sizzling in the edtech space — Chinese startup. About $4.86 billion are invested in that industry, which is not terribly surprising considering the country’s venerance for education. Take test-prep factory city Maotangchang in Anhui province, as reported by the New York Times, as an example. There, students spend dusk to dawn preparing for the “gaokao,” the all-important, hours-long college entrance examination.

But investing in China is not for the weak hearted. Take the case of Chinese firm RYB Education, a childhood education stock that listed publicly in the U.S. during the month of September. It rose 40% on its first day of trading—but was punished two months later amid reports that children were drugged, abused, and molested at one of its locations. So far, shares have not recovered by much.

DINOSAUR JUICE GROWS LESS POPULAR: The Republic of Ireland is close to becoming the world’s first country to part with fossil fuels. A bill requiring the nation’s investment fund to divest of $10 billion in investments within the coal, oil, gas and peat industry, is expected to pass in September, NPR reports.

That comes after New York City decided in January that its pension fund would divest of $5 billion in investments with ties to the fossil fuel industry.

OOPS: U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross is dropping his equity holdings for Treasury securities, according to a Thursday statement.

It’s not so much a sell signal, but more of a conflict-of-interest problem. Ross signed an agreement in early November, saying he had divested of all potential conflicts of interest. But the U.S. Office of Government Ethics issued a letter Thursday saying the official was “inaccurate” in his statements.

Ross later disclosed following the November agreement that he hadn’t divested of former employer, Invesco, until late December.

Oh, and he opened short positions following the agreement. Among the short positions; Navigator, a shipping company with ties to the Kremlin. Ross later defended himself, arguing the short position was a way to divest, though it’s unclear how that math holds up.

• Radiflow, a Tel Aviv-based cybersecurity firm, raised $18 million in funding. ST Engineering Ventures led the round and was joined by investors including Zohar Zisapel.

• Verto Analytics, a Finnish consumer-centric audience measurement company, raised $13.4 million in funding. Conor Venture Partners, Open Ocean Capital, and Finnish Industry Investment led the round, and were joined by investors including Steve Farella, Chairman of MDC Media and Steve Marshall, CEO and Founder of Invision.

• Allthings, a Swiss property tech company, raised about $13.5 million in Series A funding. EarlyBird Venture Capital is the investor.

• Goodwall, a Geneva-based social network for high school students, raised $10.8 million in Series A funding. CVC Randstad Innovation Fund is the investor.

• Penrose Studios, a San Francisco-based virtual reality content studio, raised $10 million in Series A funding. TransLink Capital led the round.

• Eventbase, a Vancouver-based enterprise event application company, raised $6.5 million in funding. Kensington Capital led the round, and was joined by investors including Madrona Venture Group.

• Nestio, a leasing platform for landlords and brokers, raised $4.5 million in funding. Camber Creek and Trinity Ventures led the round, and was joined by investors including Rudin Ventures, Currency M, The Durst Organization, LeFrak Ventures, Torch Venture Capital, Freestyle Capital, and Lazerow Ventures.

• Orig3n, a Boston-based biotech focused on genetics and regenerative medicine, has raised over $50 million to date since the firm’s inception in 2014, follow Series B funding. Haitong International led the round, and was joined by investors including Hatteras Venture Partners, Alexandria Venture Investments, Labcorp, Spectrum Health Ventures, 180 degree capital, VECTR Ventures, KTB Ventures, DEFTA Partners, MMIC Investment Holdings, and Mountain Group Partners.

• Alma Campus, a Stanford, Calif.-based social network built for students, raised $$1 million. Norwest Venture Partners led the round, and was joined by investors including Felicis Ventures and former Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer. Read more.

• Datix and RL Solutions, two healthcare quality and patient safety software companies backed by TA Associates will merge. Datix is headquartered in London, while RL Solutions is headquartered in Toronto.

• IZEA (NASDAQ: IZEA), a Winter Park Fla.-based influencer and content marketing software maker, will acquire TapInfluence, a Mountain View, Calif.-based marketplace for influencers in a part-cash, part-stock transaction. TapInfluence is backed by Grotech Ventures, Noro-Moseley Partners, and Access Venture Partners, who will become IZEA stockholders as part of the transaction. Financial terms weren’t disclosed.

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IPOS

• Liquidia Technologies, a Morrisville, N.C.-based maker of pulmonary arterial hypertension therapies, plans to raise $50 million in an IPO of 4.5 million shares priced between $10 to $12. The firm posted revenue of $7.3 million in 2017. Jefferies and Cowen are bookrunners. It plans to list on the Nasdaq as “LQDA.” Read more.

• VHQ Media Holdings, a Taipei-based movie and television post production house, plans to list its Chinese operations on the Hong Kong stock exchange in the next 12 to 18 months. Read more.

FIRMS + FUNDS

• SRI Capital, an early stage venture capital firm in Philadelphia and India focused on funding startups in the US and in India, raised $100 million for its maiden fund. early stage VC fund focused on tech opportunities in the US and India.

• Glasswing Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm, raised $112 million in its first fund.

• Sound Ventures, founded by Ashton Kutcher and Guy Oseary, plans to raise raise $150 million for its second fund, per an SEC filing.